Tag Archives: Medieval

A castle diorama with all the essentials

Sometimes a simple two-toned LEGO castle can go a long way. In this diorama, Mark of Siloam brings us Huntington Castle, his largest build to date measuring at 20″ by 45″. I’m not sure how much that is converted into studs, but it sure looks grand within this lively diorama. With its solid sand green and gray brickwork, the Huntington Castle is well-fortified with guards peering out into the land. When the castle’s functioning portcullis is lifted, the drawbridge can be lowered to access the main dirt path. A neat windmill sits just across the river, next to an open field for cattle to graze. The overall composition is rich in detail, and I’m still picking out the subtle changes in landscaping throughout the build and spotting new animals in every corner.

Here’s to more castle dioramas, Mark! And as we’re heading forward, why not drop in our archives for a look at one of Mark’s past builds from 2016.

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A big cottage in the forest

Just a few days ago I wrote an article about a little cottage in the forest. Today I stumbled upon this creation by the Midwest Builders. A big cottage in the forest! Well, calling this a cottage might not do it justice. It is actually more of a house —- a Tudor style house, and I am a sucker for Tudor style houses. So let’s discuss all the yummie goodness this creation has to offer. First of all, the woodwork on the tudor style part of the house is really nicely done. I especially love the use of the 4×4 macaroni tile . The exposed bricks behind the woodwork also looks amazing. Then the shingles for the roof are just the right amount of crooked, giving this building great character.

One of the best things has to be the pentagon and half-ellipse-shaped windows. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the LEGO spider web part because it is so chunky and you have to attach it, which can sometimes be a bit tricky to do without the attachment parts being visible. Midwest Builders managed to hide the attachment spots, giving it a more organic feel. The purple trees, graveyard, and the crops with the scarecrow further add to the Halloween feel. Are they decorations or is this house just a bit creepy all year round? Last but not least, have you seen the cute cobblestone wall that has been crumbling down for ages and is now only three plates high?

A little cottage in the forest

One of the best things about LEGO is the online community, which appears to be ever-growing. I really like discovering new online accounts of fans of LEGO. Yesterday I discovered a new (to me) creator and I would like to share their latest creation with you. Titled “Little cottage in the forest,” it was made by Alex Bromfield, and I have so many nice things to say about it. I like the irregularly shaped base and the use of all the headgear for the cobblestone path. And the cobblestone path isn’t even the only way Alex incorporates headgear. He also uses it to create a bird’s nest and a small bush. On the walls of the Tudor-style house, he used a mix of white, tan, and dark tan bricks to give it a more weathered look, which is further continued by adding tiles, slopes and cheese slopes to the roof. Can you believe that this creator is only 13 years old? I am telling you, this is one to keep an eye on!

A LEGO Master’s medieval masterpiece

Former Swedish LEGO Master Peter Ilmrud is known for detailed, colorful, and occasionally intricate works of art. Often times his builds feature subject matter of fantasy and bygone days. It’s hard to choose, but I think I enjoy his microscale castles best. This will be featured in a LEGO brand retail shop in Sweden, and it’s easy to see why.

The build catches the eye and takes you on an adventure from sea to castle spires. The real triumph is the parts usage in the castle itself. For the most part, the techniques aren’t new, but when they all come together the result is beautiful. I particularly like the techniques used on all the towers, especially stacking modified round plates and tiles back to back to achieve windows and the “stone” look. I also admire how the central helmet piece connected to the lantern element creates a particularly striking feature.

You can see more builds by Peter in our archives. While you’re at it, check out all the incredible previously featured builds in both the microscale and medieval categories.

The play at Chapel Street

As I might have mentioned before, I am a sucker for using the old castle minifigures in creations using intriguing LEGO building techniques. Something about the mix of classic and modern just feels right to me. Atahlus latest build ticks all the boxes for me. Both buildings are filled with details. I love how the gothic building on the right is symmetrical for the most part, but some of the details are not. The offset between the woodwork and the yellow wall on the left is also quite nicely done. The base on which the houses are built is oddly shaped, which to me, always is a plus. Even the minifigures in the creation are not just there to fill the space; they tell a story (quite literally in this case).

The medieval market village gets a fresh new look

If you’ve been a LEGO fan throughout childhood, this situation might be familiar to you: spending hours staring at a set you’ve always wanted in the catalog, obsessing over it until you’d memorized every detail in that set, down to every last brick. For me, that set was the 10193 Medieval Market Village, with the hinge-open village houses and waterwheel powered blacksmith hammer. It was a beauty back then and it still does in this recent Medieval Market Village redux by Robert Maier, aka hellboy.bricks. Drawing inspiration from all the original set’s essential features, this revamp uses more complex techniques yet still holds all the character and charm of the original Medieval Market. The brick-built tree branches have been substituted with Technic connectors, a pumpkin patch has been added in the back, and macaroni tiles now adorn the blacksmith shop’s archways. The classic brick slope roofing on both buildings has also been swapped out with a cheese slope roof for the blacksmith shop and a curved tile roof for the medium blue house. Also, the olive green looks gorgeous on the newly paved cobblestone, a color that you wouldn’t have found in this 2009 set.

Missing the good ol’ days of the Castle theme? Robert has made another set redux (hint: there’s goats) that you can check out here.

Not all is well in this city well

Brick Depository welcomes us all to this medieval LEGO city featuring a lovely city gate, a tudor style gate house and a city square with a well at it’s center. There’s only one problem. It appears the well is almost dried out and it appears something evil is lurking in the dark cavern.

There are so many nice things to highlight about this creation. Lets start from the top and work our way down the well to the cavern beneath it. I am a big fan of this tudor gate house using the technic chain links to represent the bare visible wood. Using a flexible brick in stead of a tiles gives the wall a more organic feel and makes it less bricky. The best thing about this creation has to be the fence in the city gate. It looks so intricate and detailed from afar and it took me a little while to figure out how it was made. It’s actually quite simple and quite clever. It’s made from plates with clips attached to evey second stud. This plate with clips then faces anotner plate with clips attached in the different direction. The clips on both plates interlock and voila! Last but not least, I am really fond of the smooth transition from paving to ground to cavern walls. Want to see what is hiding in the dark? Check out his flickr page for more pictures.

Bow before the mighty Lich King

Sometimes I look at something and think “Wow, that’s a really cool sculpture!” only to realize it’s actually made of LEGO. That was exactly my thought process when I saw Marcin Otreba’s Lich King Arthas from World of Warcraft. What I was first drawn to, oddly, was the base, and no way did I realize it was built out of my favourite plastic bricks.

The way the wedge plates are stacked and the cascading effect of the trans medium blue textured wedges make it hard to believe that’s not actually carved out of ice and snow. Then you zoom and realize this thing is an absolute tutorial on parts usage. So many amazing combinations of sword or blade elements really displaying how even specialized LEGO pieces can be combined in unique and spectacular ways. There so many different textures too, my favourite being the claw pieces simulate the white fur on the boots, and the chains creating the mail on his abdomen. The skull on his shoulder ain’t too shabby either. Be sure to zoom in to notice all fantastic parts usages.

An icy castle of the Great North

When I first saw this I thought it captured “cold” perfectly. Cool colors and just the right amount of snow and ice in the right places. But this LEGO castle, built by Jonas Kramm, goes beyond that. What’s impressive to me are the angles, shaping, and use of so many different elements to achieve the look. For example, he fit a Technic pulley wheel into the new Minions eye element to create a unique window, and dark brown scabbards are used for trim detail. Additionally, there are a number of pieces making up the icicles and snowdrifts. Most notable are the minifigure accessories used on top of the lamp posts and under the eaves of the front door. A couple of my favorite parts are the fiber optic cable for icy flowing water and the hidden parrot. Find them? Zoom in to take a closer look!

Jonas has been very busy lately! Take a look at more of his work in our archives.

Rollin’ royalty

These days, the lap of luxury presents itself in the form of Bugattis and Lamborghinis. But back in the day, what was the best vehicle gold and jewels could buy? A tricked out carriage of course! This royal ride, courtesy of LEGO builder Jonas Kramm, screams opulence. You couldn’t cram any more pearl gold elements in there if you tried. At least, without it looking too gaudy… Okay, maybe it is just a wee bit gaudy, but it’s also awesome! Pairing with the dark brown and pink is magical. There is superb, deliberate element usage and shaping all around. Using tassels on the horse’s heads is one of my favorite parts, as well as the use of the ring to make the lattice window look round. The funkier ideas are neat too, like the Cheshire Cat’s tail for a harness and his head topping the standard, as well as the large figure shin guard for a tree trunk (and excellent idea borrowed from 70620 Ninjago City).

You can find more of Jonas’s brilliant work in our archives.

What treasures does this library hold?

Ah, another detailed seek-and-find LEGO build. Gosh, I love these! Whether builder Micah Beideman meant it or not, this scene falls into that category perfectly! The sequel to the first chapter in the life of “Preston the Potion Master” doesn’t disappoint on the excellent parts usage front. Every corner is filled with eye-candy! Although, I’m personally a big fan of the lovely spiral staircase and bookshelf right in the center. The door and gold elements at the top are a great starting focal point! Another excellent detail: the large “buildable figure” shin armor from Knights Kingdom that is used on the lower fireplace. Altogether, the perfect angles and color combinations really make this build stand out!

Stay tuned for the final chapter of this tale. Meanwhile, take a moment to enjoy another very similar and related build, a potion shop. Or try this garden greenhouse at a different scale.

How to build a swell little well! [Instructions]

Former LEGO designer Tiago Catarino continues to deliver fun techniques in his free tutorials! I’m a big fan of this little well. It’s simple and easy to build, yet the unique roof design gives it character. The best part is that you can put it into a number of settings and decorating around it would be seamless. Of course, it’s probably best suited to a medieval square, don’t you think?

Click the link below to watch the video and see how it’s done!

Watch Video!